It is easy to deride the Commonwealth as an irrelevance and an anachronism, which is doubtless why so many do.

It is easy to deride the Commonwealth as an irrelevance and an anachronism, which is doubtless why so many do. Its biennial summit, the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting, has long suffered its ungainly acronym, CHOGM…

If the Japanese aren’t quite getting into the swing of the royal wedding you can hardly blame them.

If the Japanese aren’t quite getting into the swing of the royal wedding you can hardly blame them. The public here were as charmed as anyone by Princess Diana and for many subjects of the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy…

There’s a wedding happening today, apparently. The marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton – or Catherine, as she now appears to be known – may have gripped many in the United Kingdom, but for the 20 per cent of the…

Spain has suffered defeat on the football pitches of Brazil this week and some recent major upheavals in the corridors of power back at home, too. Monocle’s Aled John sees it as a chance for the country to start anew.

The title-holders of football’s greatest prize are out of the World Cup. Spain’s fall from footballing grace has been swift and will leave many – both at home and abroad – scratching their heads for some time to come. But…

As G8 foreign ministers meet in London, we ask what will be at the top of the agenda? Plus, we examine Baghdad’s cultural credentials and continue our week-long series on monarchies – today we look at the House of Saud.

We assess which African nations are best suited to assist Mali alongside France, explore Turkish Airlines’ expansion plans, and continue our series on monarchies around the world by looking at Thailand.

The latest from Kenya as it inaugurates a new president, we find out why Russia is trying to ban foul language, and continue our week-long series on monarchies around the world – this time in the Netherlands.

We find out if secretary of state John Kerry can restart peace talks in Israel, discuss why Saudi Arabia is letting women ride bicycles in public and start our week-long series on monarchies around the world by heading to…

What is the state of republican movements in Europe's monarchies? We ask the question a day after Spain's king Juan Carlos announced his intention to abdicate. We also ponder why so many national flag carriers are facing…

Simon Kuper of the Financial Times and Dr Henk te Velde explore the role of the Dutch monarchy after their queen abdicates, our man in Seoul – Jason Strother – brings us the latest after the US and South Korea end their…

This past Sunday, two days after the bespectacled and besuited King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced his plan for constitutional reforms, several thousand protesters hit the streets of a rundown Casablanca neighbourhood.…

This past Sunday, two days after the bespectacled and besuited King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced his plan for constitutional reforms, several thousand protesters hit the streets of a rundown Casablanca neighbourhood.…

And so, the fairytale is finally getting its proper ending. Victoria, the Crown Princess of Sweden, will marry her beloved, the fitness entrepreneur Daniel Westling, her boyfriend of eight years, on 19 June. Stockholm will…

The Canadian government’s clumsy efforts to rebrand the country could benefit from a little more understanding of what their nation truly represents in the 21st century, says Monocle’s Christopher Frey.

Recently the Canadian government announced a design competition to come up with an official logo for the country’s 150th birthday celebrations in 2017. The competition, however, is open only to students, comes with a rather…